Present status of kidney transplantation

Kidney transplantation today is the method of choice to treat end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in more than 50% of the ESRD-population. Due to major improvements in surgical handling, immunosuppressive therapy, and infection control, the one-year survival for patients and first grafts has reached nearly 90% in the recent years. In contrast no comparable achievements have been made in long-term graft survival. A constant number of grafts is lost yearly after the first postoperative year. In addition an increasing number of well functioning grafts is lost due to the death of the recipients caused mainly by cardiovascular and malignant disorders. The extension of kidney transplantation to all suitable recipients is nearly exclusively hampered by the organ shortage, which is further enhanced by failing grafts. This urges us to further improve the prognosis for patient and graft. This must include organ sharing on the basis of improved HLA-typing to achieve highly compatible grafts. The tools for differential diagnosis of acute and chronic graft dysfunction have to be improved. New immunosuppressive agents with higher immunosuppressive power and specificity but fewer nephrotoxic, metabolic and hemodynamic side effects are required at least for chronic rejection. The risk of infectious and malignant complications must be limited.